1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a recording medium feeding device useable in an image formation instrument which facilitates the operation of supplying recording mediums to the recording medium feeding device for supporting a great deal of recording medium thereon. Particularly, it relates to a recording medium feeding device which facilitates the operation of supplying recording mediums thereto, thereby enabling the recording mediums to be supplied in good order.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional feeding device will hereinafter be described by taking as an example the recording medium feeding device of a high-speed copying apparatus.
Some of the recent high-speed copying apparatus have a copying capacity of 100 or more sheets of A4 size recording medium (formed, for example, of paper or resin and hereinafter referred to as the transfer medium) per minute. In such high-speed copying apparatus, a great deal of the transfer medium is consumed in a short time and therefore, a great deal of transfer medium (for example, 3,000 to 5,000 sheets) must be contained in the transfer medium feeding device of the apparatus and thus, it is necessary to increase the capacity of the feeding device.
Therefore, in the conventional feeding device, the transfer medium supporting portion thereof has been made deeper and larger so as to be capable of supporting and containing a great deal of transfer medium therein. However, having transfer mediums piled in good order on such deeper or larger supporting portion is difficult and cumbersome because it is difficult for the operator to put his hands into the interior of the supporting portion. Therefore, it has often been the case that transfer mediums are piled on the supporting portion without the ends of the transfer mediums being properly arranged or transfer mediums are piled with the end of the lowermost transfer medium being curled and floated, and this has prevented the transfer mediums from being well fed and has caused jamming or oblique movement of transfer mediums or feeding of multiple transfer mediums at a time.